Monday, April 02, 2007

Spring and Letters from UwaTF?!

My internal calendar says it's Spring and with that comes the urge to clean, simplify and CLEAN.

This year, I think the Spring cleaning urge has been tainted with Home re-modeling fever. So that means, I want to buy new furniture, rip out the carpets and replace with hardwood floors, install granite countertops, wash down and repaint the walls, buy all new curtains and cushions, linens and a boat load of organizational stuff.

It sounds a little extreme, I realize but luckily, I have a husband who tolerates my whims.

In the past, with all projects of this type, we usually aim high and create a huge list of goals and then fall deep into the pit of laziness and do the absolute minimum.

NOT. THIS. YEAR.

Since it looks like being a house elf is out of the question for the time being (we both have surgerical procedures pending and apparently Doctors and Hospitals have this thing about being paid first) so I need my house to be the epitome of tranquility and serenity.

I'll blog my before and afters. If I post all the before's now, it might give me that extra incentive to keep me on track.

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On a completely different note, last year my parents discovered the internet and even got the language converter so they can read and write in Korean. As a result, my mother will email from time to time in Korean.

I don't really read Korean.

My fluency is on par with a 6 year old learning to read period. So I use AltaVista's Babel Fish translating tool.

Cons: it's not very accuratePros: it's funny as hell

Here's what my mom wrote this time around according to Babel Fish:

Dear Daughter,Love delay Oh the mom wants going to you.You report to want the mail send to the mom too much and your heirloom which it waits the money which it hands over you are too much well and the help plentifully becomes in life.Taeng queue the mom whom it loves..Mom.

What does this mean? Usually the "it" is me. And "taeng queue" is my mother phoenetically spelling out "thank you" in korean. Odd.

Here's my tortured, sounded-out translation:

Daughter,Beloved daughter, I really want to see you.I miss you and ... something something something.We spent the check you sent on fun things and it was very welcome.Thank you. Your loving mother.Mom

So this could mean my mom is coming for a visit next week. I really wouldn't know. I will probably have to call her. Meanwhile, I will answer back to her in Korean using Babel Fish because for some reason that just gives her and my father hours of laughter and enjoyment.

I like Alanis' version better! Ah, the annual spring cleaning fest... Q blamed the nesting instinct this year, but I did get some stuff cleared out! I already have plans for getting rid of stuff, organizing stuff, and moving stuff around. In part due to the evening re-organization for Gretchen's nightly feeding!

Toki - you guys have a great house! And you don't need a bigger house!! You have a great house!!